The present invention relates to a bag stuffer having an insert movable from a collapsed orientation, which enables compact storage of an expandable bag containing the insert, to an expanded orientation, which provides a commercial display of the expandable bag containing the insert.
Bag stuffers or expanders are well-known in the retail art. Each bag stuffer includes an insert which is movable from a collapsed orientation, which enables compact storage of an expandable bag containing the insert for shipping and retail storage purposes, to an expanded orientation, which provides a commercial display of an expandable bag containing the insert. Bag stuffers are used with a wide variety of expandable articles which, for reasons of economy, are preferably shipped and stored in a relatively flat or collapsed orientation, but are best presented in commercial displays in an expanded orientation. Such articles include soft-sided luggage, purses, cosmetic kits, Dop kits, briefcases, and the like.
Initially the function of the bag stuffer was performed by cardboard forms or crushed paper which had to be inserted by the retailer after receipt of the collapsed article from the manufacturer. Indeed, some bag stuffers still require the retailer to insert his hand or an instrument into the collapsed article to activate the bag stuffer--that is, to move the insert from its collapsed orientation to its expanded orientation. However the modern bag stuffers typically include means for biasing the insert to the expanded orientation, and releasable restraining means which are disposed about the insert in the collapsed orientation for restraining movement of the insert from the collapsed orientation to the expanded orientation.
In its simplest form, the restraining means may be disposed about the outside of the expandable bag containing the insert so that the retailer has only to cut or otherwise disable the restraining means in order to activate the insert. This is generally not an acceptable situation as the restraining means (or the article used to cut or disable the restraining means) may mar the exterior surface of the bag, thereby rendering it unsaleable. Accordingly, most modern restraining means are disposed about the insert and within the expandable bag containing the insert, so that the restraining means cannot mar the exterior surface of the bag. Typically an end portion of the restraining means extends outwardly from the bag so that, when the extending end portion is pulled, the restraining means is cut, torn or otherwise disabled, thereby permitting the biasing means to activate the insert. For example, the restraining means may be a strap disposed in a loop configuration with the ends of the strap forming a latching mechanism, the latching pin being disengageable from the latching mechanism by means of a string extending outwardly from the latching mechanism and at least partially outside of the expandable bag. Such a latching mechanism is not entirely satisfactory, both because of its high relative cost and because the rigid nature of the latching mechanism and the latching pin introduce the possibility of marring of the interior surface of the bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,674 discloses a bag stuffer which is relatively inexpensive and safe relative to the stuffer with a latching mechanism. The restraining means consists of a tearable strip disposed about the insert--e.g., a paper loop--and tearing means actuatable from outside of the bag for tearing the strip--e.g., a piece of string. While the patented bag stuffer is an improvement over the bag stuffer with a latching mechanism, it too is not entirely satisfactory. The resistance of the tearable restraining means to being torn determines the strength that is required in order to deploy the tearing means and thereby to actuate the insert. Thus, in order to vary the strength of the pull which is required to actuate the insert, a different paper or tape must be employed as the tearable restraining means. Additionally, the requirement of both tearable means and tearing means (that is, the paper strip wound about the insert and the string positioned to tear the paper strip) renders the manufacture and assembly of the bag stuffer compound and time consuming. Accordingly, the need remains for a bag stuffer which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and deploy, safe to use, and easily modifiable to vary the strength required to rupture or deactivate the restraining means and thereby to actuate the insert.
A further disadvantage of the known bag stuffers is the requirement that the ends of the biasing means (which is typically a coil spring) must be secured to the planar elements or panels of the insert against which they bear by adhesive or the like. The use of adhesive is typically messy and time consuming (as the adhesive must be given an opportunity to dry before it is subjected to forces which may result in relative movement of the spring and the panel), and therefore expensive. While non-adhesive techniques exist for securing the spring ends and planar elements of the insert together, these typically involve expensive and/or compound mechanisms. Accordingly, the need remains for a bag stuffer wherein the ends of the biasing means are directly secured to the planar elements without adhesives and without expensive and/or compound mechanisms.
A further disadvantage of the known bag stuffers is the limitations on the configurations of the expandable bags with which they are useful. Thus while the known bag stuffers are typically useful with relatively shallow, generally rectangular bags, the various planar elements of the insert which abut the bag and are used to force the bag to its expanded orientation could not be used in connection with cylindrical or duffel-type bags or other bags not having parallel sides. Additionally, even where the bag has parallel sides, the biasing means typically cannot separate the planar elements by more than a given distance (determined by the length of the coil spring biasing means) unless an intermediate panel or flap is used (with the biasing means acting on the flap which in turn separates the planar elements). Accordingly, the need remains for a bag stuffer which can expand unusually shaped bags and which, without the presence of intermediate elements (such as flaps), permits the biasing means to move the planar elements abutting the bag to a desired separation greater than the length of the biasing means.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bag stuffer which, in a preferred embodiment, is safe to use, simple and inexpensive to manufacture and deploy, and easily modifiable to vary the strength required to rupture or deactivate the restraining means and thereby to actuate the insert.
Another object is to provide a bag stuffer wherein, in a preferred embodiment, the ends of the biasing means are directly secured to the insert planar elements without adhesives and without expensive and/or compound mechanisms.
A further object is to provide a bag stuffer which, in one embodiment, permits the biasing means to move the planar elements abutting the bag to a desired separation greater than the length of the biasing means without the presence of intermediate elements such as flaps.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a bag stuffer which, in one embodiment, is useful with non-rectangular bags.